Archive for December, 2010

While we wait to find out the extent of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s possible ties with radical Islamist groups, let’s remember why the battle over the Ground Zero VictoryMosque that Bloomberg supports is so very important. Stella Paul warns that the planned mosque would be a huge victory for radical Islamists in the “cultural jihad,” or “stealth jihad” by which they are attempting to take over our country without firing another shot or detonating another bomb. They’ve already achieved a surprising number of victories in this regard:

Some days, it feels like the whole country is writhing under the thumb of these bull goose loonies. In Irvine, Muslim students at the University of California have harassed and attacked Jewish students for years with impunity; an independent task force advised Jewish students to enroll elsewhere, since the UC administration was content to let the Muslim students keep running amok, defacing Holocaust memorials and assaulting Jews.

In Boston, a group of concerned citizens sounded the alarm about the radical leadership of the Islamic Society of Boston (ISB), including its Al Qaeda-lovin’ founder, now serving 23 years for terrorist pranks. The reward these plucky citizens got was a lawsuit for defamation, efficiently designed to shut them up while the ISB built a $22-million, Saudi-funded mega-mosque – excuse me, “Cultural Center” – in Roxbury, whose opening ceremony was jam-packed with groveling politicians.

With each new headline, each new shrieking insult to the mosque’s opponents, Americans [have] found it tougher to shake the distinctly unsettling feeling [that] our ruling class favors Islam. Perhaps our noble leaders are being intimidated or paid off or flattered or, in some other unknown way, appeased. Perhaps they just want to show off their moral superiority to us redneck dweebs.

Citizens protest the Ground Zero Mosque, New York City, June 6, 2010

But whatever [the politicians’] motives, the path is being plowed silky smooth for the Ground Zero Victory Mosque, against the will of the people. But for what? What is the prize?

The prize is Shariah – the brutal, all-encompassing system of Islamic law every Muslim must obey. Shariah is the Hotel California of religious law – you can check in, but you can never check out. Allah has mandated every jot and tittle of Shariah into one big take-it-or-leave-it package – only there’s no leaving. If you’re Muslim, you follow it till you drop; if you’re an infidel living under Muslim rule, Shariah shoves you into official second-class status as a dhimmi, in which your nightmarish role is to kowtow to your masters and fork over your money to support them [i.e., the jizya, or Tax of Submission — the crippling tax you must pay for the privilege of staying alive as an an infidel under Muslim rule].

Shariah should come with a warning label: it’s poisonous for women, children and other living things. It encourages female genital mutilation, polygamy, wife-beating, forced marriages for girls, and “honor killings” of recalcitrant females. It orders all Muslims to wage jihad, either through stealth or violence, and recognizes no man-made laws, customs, or national borders. To Shariah adherents, our Constitution is a human construct, not Allah-given, and, therefore, not worth the parchment it’s penned on. All that matters is the ceaseless struggle to bring the world under Allah’s rule….

[T]he Ground Zero Victory Mosque will house [among other things] the Shariah Index Project. A cherished dream of … Imam Rauf, the Shariah Index Project will calibrate the state of Shariah compliance around the world, and diligently labor to spread and enforce it. It’s kind of like Santa’s list of who’s been naughty and who’s been nice; only Shariah’s view of nice means public hanging of 14-year-old gays.

And someday soon, if President Obama has his way, dawn will break with the amplified call to prayer booming across the Ground Zero killing fields from the top of the 15-floor Victory Mosque.

One thing you can bet your life’s savings on: Allen West will never be one of those “groveling politicians” that would plow a silky smooth path to Shariah. Allen West is one of the patriots throwing nails into the road.

He’ll be on the Armed Services Committee and the Small Business Committee. Yesss!!

Obviously, West’s 22-year career experience in the military will be a huge asset to the Armed Services Committee — and thus, to our national security. We the People appreciate that!

Other than national security, West’s biggest issue has been restoring the American economy. He is passionately committed to easing the tax and regulatory burdens that make it so hard for businesses to survive, let alone grow and create new jobs. His assignment to the Small Business Committee will give him tremendous opportunity to help us in that area. We the People appreciate that!

West has not had personal experience with small business as he obviously has had with the armed services, but his wife, Angela, has an MBA and is a financial planner, so (as those of you who are married know) he cannot help but have picked up a lot about business over the years! In addition, during both his 2008 campaign and this year’s campaign, West put a lot of effort into outreach to small businesses, and did a lot of listening to business owners. We know that he is one sharp fellow — one of those bright minds who processes new things very quickly and then retains it all. He will do just as excellent a job on the Small Business Committee as he does at everything else he applies himself to!

By the way, have you noticed that everyone from Fox to CNN to the Huffington Post has been covering Allen West since November 2? I think it’s safe to say he’s had the most media exposure of any freshman Congressman. And he’s not even sworn in yet! Come January 3… oh, this is going to be good!

Congressman-elect Allen West’s campaign headquarters in Deerfield Beach, FL served as the backdrop for a toy drive that yielded over 800 toys and gifts to benefit the U.S. Marine Corps ”Toys for Tots’ program. Dozens of volunteers and well-wishers attended the event to hear West thank those who attended and donated for their extraordinary outpouring of support for this worthy cause. West also took questions from the media, and he addressed questions regarding the Military’s controversial “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, the Dream ACT and the extension of the Bush Tax Cuts. In addition, West was asked about the recent letter he sent to incoming Majority Whip Eric Cantor regarding the 2011 work calendar for the U.S. House of Representatives, and West indicated “that it was only right to bring up the concerns of the people.”

I’m really glad he mentioned the importance of getting started right away on oversight hearings. And I love his plan to work hard all month in Congress, then report back to the district for monthly town hall meetings. Sounds like a plan every Congressperson should adopt!

Like this:

These were the “mainstream” headlines last week:
“Allen West bats Eric Cantor for weak Congressional calendar”; “GOP freshman charges Cantor with crafting weak Congressional schedule”; “Republican rep.-elect picks a bone with a top leader in his party”…
Look at that language, please. “bats”… “charges”… “picks a bone”…

What does the average person think when they see headlines like these? They think: “troublemaker” — and worse.

Well, if you (unlike the average American) take the trouble to read the actual letter Allen West sent to House Majority Leader-elect Eric Cantor, surprise, surprise! Who would have guessed? It’s the very model of respect and civility. Of course. What else would you expect from a career military officer — especially from such a class act as Allen B. West?

Here. Read it for yourself. (Note especially, in the second-to-last paragraph, West’s gracious and sincere expression of appreciation to Cantor for the good changes Cantor has already made.)

Dear Majority Leader- Elect Eric Cantor:

I have now had several days to review the Congressional Calendar and return to my District to listen to many of my constituents’ views regarding the schedule for the First Session of the 112th Congress.

I believe this schedule does not sufficiently reflect the concerns of the American people as expressed on November 2nd.

The election demonstrated that the voters, including the citizens of the 22nd District of Florida, wanted the United States Congress to aggressively address the many challenges facing our nation. As we both know, Congress needs to work to create jobs, reduce the deficit, strengthen our economy, limit the size of government, and contend with a plethora of national security issues.

Even though the schedule contains 123 days and 32 weeks of session which is consistent with first sessions in previous Congresses, I believe the citizens of this nation, as demonstrated by their action at the ballot box this year, do not want a Congress that is consistent – even in terms of scheduling – with the past.

Further, the schedule, as proposed, means the House of Representatives will not meet the mark of 90 days in session until September of 2011, just a matter of days before the end of the Fiscal Year. The American people expect the Congress to do a thorough review of our nation’s spending priorities, and I believe the number of days in session do not provide an adequate amount of time for such oversight.

I am sure we both agree that the issues before us today require the Members of Congress to go beyond what has been the accepted practice in the past to meet the challenges of the future.

I am very concerned that the House of Representatives consistently stays in session for only two weeks on Capitol Hill, followed by one week in the District. Further, the schedule puts the House of Representatives in recess when the U.S. Senate is in session — and vice-versa. Certainly the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and the Democrat-controlled Senate are going to need to work in concert to enact legislation to move this nation forward.

I understand from more senior colleagues limiting votes during the day between 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. will allow the essential committees work to be uninterrupted by votes on the floor. Further, the elimination of many ceremonial pieces of legislation will allow for more time on the House floor to work on essential business. Finally, establishing an adjournment date of December 8, 2011, sends a message to the American people that their House of Representatives is going to work all twelve months of the year. I want to thank you for initiating these important changes.

However, after listening to the citizens of the 22nd Congressional District of Florida over the course of the election cycle and hearing their concerns and understanding the challenges we face as a country, I promised my constituents I would go to Capitol Hill and work every day to help solve these problems. I hope that the Leadership, if it becomes clear that we are not meeting the promise we made to the American people, will modify the schedule in order for us to accomplish the important task we have before us.

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I’ve always loved the way the liturgical readings during the Advent season bring us, over and over, right up against Jesus’ Jewishness. (Which is one reason I have never understood how a Christian could be anti-Semitic!) The readings from Isaiah and Micah and Zechariah help us see the coming of Jesus as the culmination of centuries of promises to, and preparation of, the children of Israel. The prophets foretell the Messiah’s coming and hint at what it will mean for the world.

And of course, the long genealogies that begin Matthew’s and Luke’s gospel accounts are there to show us Jesus’ identity as a son of Adam and the Son of David. Here is Matthew’s genealogy, Matthew 1:1-6, given the reverence and wonder it deserves: ♫ Anonymous 4 sings \”Evangelium: Liber Generationis\” (in Latin)

In this season when Christians focus more than usual on the fact that our Savior and our God is a Jew, conceived and born into the world in the land of Israel, it seems apropos to post this position paper on Israel by Allen West, originally issued in September 2009.

Pamela Geller ran it on her indispensable blog, Atlas Shrugs, so I will run it here with her introduction:

Much thanks to Lt Colonel Allen West, who sent this to me erev Yom Kippur. Like Sarah Palin, West is a ganser mensch. A leader in the mold of Churchill and Patton. If America is to be saved, it will be with the leadership of great Americans like Palin and West.

Here is his position paper on Israel. After the foolishness witnessed this past week at UN, West felt it necessary to make his position unequivocally clear. Somebody with cahones.

I love this guy!

Lt Colonel Allen West

About 62 years ago the world came together and established something that was very long overdue, the State of Israel. When one considers the travails of the Jewish people since the 7th century it should bring shame upon the face of the world. These persecutions began with their being forced out of the Saudi peninsula and the Levant by Muhammad and his successors.

The horrors of the Inquisition in Spain among other wrongs brought upon the Jews in early Europe followed. When we failed to learn from that lesson, the world would witness the supreme horror in Europe of the Holocaust. Finally, we learned the lesson. We made a commitment and established a Jewish homeland, fully recognized.

Now we face the resurrection of the original enemy of the Jewish people, a resurgent Islamic fundamentalism evidencing itself in totalitarian, imperialist design. This time it has morphed itself using 21st century technologies still retaining a 7th century mentality, utilizing terrorism internationally to promote its perverse aims.

One of those objectives is the destruction of the State the world agreed to support in creating, Israel.

In keeping with previous traditions established by Muhammad, the modern Islamic warriors promote taquiyya, lying to promote Islam. They also, just as Muhammad, use the Treaty of Hudabiyya as a model to delay and deceive their enemies until they are ready to strike. Under Yasser Arafat some 200 agreements were never honored.

Why would we trust any word coming from the mouth of the psychopathic delusional leader of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? The mad mullahs, insane imams, and combative clerics are again calling for the supremacy of Islam, no different from earlier centuries.

Israel faces groups such as Hamas which in its charter commits to the destruction of Israel. They face Iran who has committed to destroying the Jewish state and driving its people into the sea. When asked to depart from southern Lebanon, Israel complied, yet they now face Hezbollah in the north. In Egypt the Muslim brotherhood is complicit in enabling Hamas to receive materiel support and funding through the series of tunnels.

And there are those who demand more land be ceded by Israel and settlements halted? The end result will be a country with the width comparable to the distance of New York’s JFK to LaGuardia airports. Each time Israel has given back terrain it has become a launching point for terrorist attacks.

We are dealing with an enemy that has no regard, nor respect, for negotiations, compromises, and certainly not appeasement. Matter of fact, it is deemed weakness and only encourages them more so.

I do not support any creation of a Palestinian state, to do so would be to create a terrorist state. There is already a state for the Arabic people residing in the region called Palestine, Jordan. If the Arabs can build an indoor ski slope in Dubai, they can resolve the issue of their Arab brothers and sisters. Instead, they use them as pawns in an international game of extortion and use the subsidies provided not for humanitarian gain but for more weapons, for jihad.

I do not support any division of Jerusalem. If I recall from history and the Old Testament, David, Son of Israel built Jerusalem and his son Solomon made it great. The Muslim claims to Jerusalem are based upon a very contentious story concocted by Muhammad, and of course the latter conquering of the city even by Salahaddin. One flag will fly over Jerusalem, the Israeli flag, never any other, certainly not a UN flag.

Lastly, we must move away from the antiquated world government organization called the United Nations. We recently saw what type “leaders” are allowed a stage before this body politic. It is time we create a new organization which is based upon Nations with like political structures, Republics and Democracies. I advocate Israel being part of this structure, perhaps an expanded NATO, but something with teeth, and principled member Nations. We face a dangerous committed enemy, we are all targets, not just Israel.

And if we fail to believe that last sentence, ask those who lost loved ones on 9/11 in America, on 3/11 in Madrid, and in the London bombings. We just dodged a terrible blow here in America, again, while promoting “Islam on Capitol Hill”. Funny, the attendees blamed their fear of reprisals for not having more persons participate. This on the same day, 25 September 2009, that a Jordanian illegal immigrant was caught sitting in a “supposed” car bomb and dialing up the cell number to detonate in Dallas.

Genesis Chapter 16, verses 11-12 states, “And the Angel of the Lord said to her (Hagar): Behold you are with child, And you shall bear a son, You shall call his name Ishmael, Because the Lord has heard your affliction. He shall be a wild man; His hand shall be against everyman, and every man’s hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.”

Ishmael of course became the beginning of the Arab people….and God’s word is immutable truth.

In closing, there are battle lines clearly drawn, I know where I stand, and that is to support the State of Israel. The lessons of history have been learned by me and I offer one simple retort, “Not on my Watch”.

Judicial Watch announced last Thursday that it had filed a lawsuit against New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Iman Feisal Abdul Rauf seeking information about communications between them regarding an Islamic mosque and cultural center that Rauf plans to build a few blocks from Ground Zero.

Now Washington, D.C.-headquartered Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, has filed a petition with the New York State Supreme Court asking it to force Bloomberg to comply with a public records request for communications he had with Rauf and controversial Muslim groups, Judicial Watch said in a statement.

Judicial Watch filed a freedom of information request with Bloomberg’s office on Aug. 19. The Mayor’s office indicated it would supply the information in 20 days and failed to do so.

“Mayor Bloomberg’s support for the Ground Zero mosque needs to be fully explored. New Yorkers are going to want to know how closely he’s working with the radicals supporting the Ground Zero mosque,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “It is troubling that the Mayor’s office cannot be bothered to comply with the open records law. What is the Mayor’s office hiding?”

New York City -- Jihadists' Dream

The full story behind this picture is a video that can be found by clicking on the image. Do take the time to watch it.

Judicial Watch is asking for:

•All records of communication between the Office of the Mayor and Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf concerning the Cordoba Initiative’s proposed Cordoba House project.

•All records of of communication between the Office of Mayor Bloomberg and any of the following entities

1. Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR);

2. Islamic Society of North America (ISNA);

3. International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT);

4. American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA);

5. American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC);

6. Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC).

This list sets off so many alarm bells it’s deafening.

As documented in the landmark Team B II report, Shariah: The Threat to America, CAIR, which was founded by the leaders of the terrorist group Hamas, and ISNA were unindicted co-conspirators in the case that found that the nice-sounding-named Holy Land Foundation was a fundraising arm of Hamas. As shown in the diagram below, ISNA and IIIT are offshoots of the radical Muslim Brotherhood. The MPAC is also an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood. According to Team B II, “The Muslim Brotherhood is the root of the majority of Islamic terrorist groups in the world today.”

The Muslim Brotherhood has two goals: impose shariah in every country; and re-establish a global caliphate.

ASMA (#4 on the list above) is a perfect illustration of the bizarre nexus of radical Islam and the radical Left. Discover the Networks reveals that some of the major funders of this organization, which was founded by Rauf and is run by his wife, Daisy Khan, include the Ms. Foundation (!), the Sister Fund and the Global Fund for Women, leftist organizations all. Another big ASMA funder is the U.N. Population Fund, which is radically pro-abortion.

The ADC, meanwhile, has defended Palestinian “martyr” operations (i.e., suicide bombings) in Israel, and has received Saudi (i.e., Wahhabi) funds. The ADC lobbies against U.S. aid to Israel, and has frequently made common cause with the ACLU, in projects such as suing people they deem to be insensitive to Arabs, and lobbying against the Patriot Act. ADC leaders have defended the terrorist organizations Hamas and Hezbollah as legitimate groups that deserve recognition.

Even if Mayor Bloomberg is found not to have direct ties to the six radical groups listed above, his close ties with Imam Rauf would indirectly link him to them. It was ISNA and IIIT that published Imam Rauf’s insidious book What’s Right with Islam is What’s Right with America, which had been published previously in the Islamic world as — are you ready for this? — A Call to Prayer from the World Trade Center Rubble: Islamic Dawa [proselytization] from the Heart of America Post-9/11.

ISNA’s and IIIT’s roots in the Muslim Brotherhood certainly show in that triumphalist title. But that’s not the worst of it. ISNA and IIIT are just two of the more prominent Muslim Brotherhood front organizations. Team B II has documented that “the Muslim Brotherhood has, as a matter of historical fact, established, built and maintained control over most of the prominent Muslim organizations in America.”

Does Mayor Bloomberg know what a tangled web he’s gotten involved with? Does he know these groups’ real identity as front organizations for the Muslim Brotherhood? Does he know what the Muslim Brotherhood stands for? Does he care?

Thank God that Judicial Watch is digging into this.

You might consider a donation to Judicial Watch to help them fight the good fight against shariah in America.

Today we dedicate this space to another great British leader, albeit merely a fictional creation: Captain Jack Aubrey.

As I sat watching my DVD of Master and Commander the other night for the sixth or seventh time in as many years, I once again found myself, during a couple of scenes, with my eyes tightly shut, my stomach churning, all hunched up with my arms wrapped around myself, thinking, “Now WHY am I watching this darn thing again?”

For one thing, I forget, from one year to the next, just how horrifying and nauseating the horrifying and nauseating parts really are.

On the other hand, the beautiful parts are really, really beautiful: that awesome water; the Galapagos Islands; the jolly dinner-table scenes; the music — ah, the music! Perhaps it shows that I’m a shallow person, but such aesthetic considerations are enough to hook me on a movie.

But the real reason I love this movie? If you’ve seen it, you already know the answer: It’s all about Aubrey.

The “master and commander” of the HMS Surprise — Captain “Lucky Jack” Aubrey — is one of the most memorable heroes in historical fiction. Russell Crowe brings Aubrey to life in what may be his greatest role — and Crowe has had many. The reason even a queasy, violence-averse landlubber like me can be drawn over and over to this disturbing and bloody tale of one phase in the Napoleonic Wars is Jack Aubrey. He is an unforgettable embodiment of true leadership — with all its complexities and moral quandaries, interpersonal challenges, relentless urgency, and heartrending no-win moments of decision.

The movie, released in 2003, remains highly popular. I’m far from being the only one out there who’s bought the DVD and watched it multiple times. I think that’s because we live in an age when true leadership seems rare among those in positions of leadership, those who should have it, but don’t. We crave that kind of leadership — and when we don’t see it in evidence among our real-life leaders, we look for it in literature and movies.

Jack Aubrey is the kind of leader we can respect. He does whatever it takes for his men, his ship and his country. His creed is the opposite of everything connoted by “political correctness.” He sees good and evil in the world, and gives his all to the fight for the good. He may not always make the right decision, but it’s not for lack of earnestly trying to do the right thing. His mistakes result from errors in judgment, not slip-ups of moral character. He is motivated by justice and loyalty, and for those things he is willing to sacrifice everything he has, up to and including life itself.

And, most important of all in a leader, he knows how to inspire his men to do the same.

One of my favorite scenes from Master and Commander begins at the 2:34 mark in this rousing medley of great pre-battle speeches from the movies:

After watching the “Do you want to see a guillotine in Piccadilly?” scene the other night, I couldn’t help but imagine a contemporary version.

Visualize, if you will, Lt. Col. Allen West rallying his “troops” (that would be us, folks):